Dr. James Ballard began his distinguished career in medicine more than 34 years ago; his expertise in the fields of pathology and humanities is nationally renowned. Dr. Ballard has been with Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine since 1976, joining the faculty as an Instructor in Medicine at the College of Medicine. He has held numerous academic and administrative positions throughout his tenure at Hershey, including Interim Chair in the Department of Humanities, and currently serves as Professor of Medicine, Pathology and Humanities. His lifelong dedication has been to ensure that patients receive the caring compassion and expert medical attention they deserve. His gentle and caring bedside manner endears him to his patients and their families. The compassion for his patients finds its way into the classroom, where he teaches the medical students that it is not simply knowledge but also compassion that makes a physician excellent. Dr. Ballard has taught and mentored medical students and residents for 34 years. He has won countless awards for his teaching as presented by the classes and residents over the years. Dr. Ballard has been elected by his peers for inclusion in Best Doctors in America® from 2002 to present. The Best Doctors database includes more than 40,000 of the best physicians, which translates to the top 3 to 5 percent of specialists in the U.S.